


Ladders and Lights

by taylocrow



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas Time, F/M, Fluff, meet cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 06:21:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17177567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taylocrow/pseuds/taylocrow
Summary: Lady leads Sansa to a doofus who has fallen in the snow.





	Ladders and Lights

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ValofWinterfell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ValofWinterfell/gifts).



> Happy Holidays!! This is a secret Santa gift to @valofwinterfell - merry Christmas :)

Lady is a dog made for the weather Sansa is currently enduring for the love of said pup. Her fluffy coat keeps her safe from the blustering wind and snow fall that is torturing Sansa’s poor hair. The street lights along the sidewalks illuminate the flakes dancing in the air, and if it weren’t 11:00 at night she’d probably take a moment to appreciate the magic of it. 

 

There’s a week before Christmas so all the houses she passed while walking her dog are decorated in wreaths, blinking lights, and silly blow up lawn decorations. She can’t help but smile at the Snoopy laying on top of his red dog house, “You’re lucky I’m still going to let you back in my bed after this.” Sansa mutters to Lady. 

 

Lady lets out an alarming bark that makes her jump out of her socks. 

 

“I’m only kidding!” Sansa gasps as her dog begins to drag her down the sidewalk. She’s trying to yank her back by the leash, but it’s futile, and ends up blindly following her bossy dog even further away from the warmth of her bed. 

 

“Aw, shit!” There’s a loud exclamation that sounds like it’s coming from where Lady is taking her. Sansa lessens her pull and follows closely to her trusted dog. Lady would never take her near danger, and when they walk up to a house and she spots someone lying in the snow below a ladder, she and Lady hurry onto the scene. 

 

“Hey! Are you alright?!” Sansa shouts out and runs as fast as her snow boots allow. 

 

There’s about six inches of snow coating the streets of Winterfell, and there’s a giant dent in perfect blanket made by the guy lying there. A bellowing bark comes from inside the house and it’s riles Lady up, she’s hopping around and galloping about as Sansa peers down at the man grimacing up at her. 

 

“I fell.” He mutters and she can’t tell if it’s the frozen air that makes his cheeks pink or his embarrassment. Sansa offers her hand easily and together they struggle to get him to his feet. 

 

The bark inside only grows louder and more urgent and the man frowns and shouts, “I’m fine, Ghost! Quit it!” 

 

Lady politely sits beside Sansa amidst all the snow and she can’t help but wince. “Lady! Now I’m going to have to dry you off and put towels on the bed.” 

 

Lady merely pants in response and stares at the white dog peeking out the window. When Sansa sees that the dog called Ghost looks exactly like Lady she beams in excitement, “You have a husky too!” 

 

“He’s kind of a mix but yeah, that’s Ghost. I’m guessing this is Lady?” He hobbles awkwardly and gives her a gentle pat on the head. 

 

Watching his disjointed movements makes her remember why she’s even here in the first place, “Oh, right! Are you okay?” 

 

He’s got on a black beanie, a sweatshirt underneath a black Carhartt jacket, and snow pants with a measly pair of beat up Vans. Sansa looks directly at his face and sees just how handsome he is and then her face heats up and matches his. “I think so, thanks for helping me up.” 

 

“I’m Sansa, by the way.” She sticks out her mitten clad hand to shake his. When he sticks out his hand, it’s more pink than his hand, a bright and vibrant red when he shakes her hand. 

 

“I’m Jon.” He’s sheepish when he says it and chews on his lower lip, “Thanks again.” 

 

“What on earth are you doing anyways?” Sansa peers up at the Christmas lights dangling from his gutter and snickers, “It’s 11:00!” 

 

“I was late getting them up! And Christmas is next week so I just…” He waves up at the ladder and glances around the neighborhood, “I swear it wasn’t snowing this much when I got out here.” 

 

Sansa smiles, “Couldn’t wait for the sun to be up?” 

 

“It’s snowing!” Jon motions around them, “There’s nothing more Christmas-y than that!” 

 

“Or safe!” She teases and he blows out a breath. A cloud forms from it between them and Sansa does it back. “Are you sure you’re okay? I can give you a ride to the hospital if you need one.” 

 

“Oh god, no!” He groans and sags his shoulders, “I’d never hear the end of it.” 

 

“From who?” Sansa quirks and eyebrow and Jon frowns. “The guys at work! The nurses would tell them in an instant. Especially Gilly, she’s with Sam who drives the truck.” 

 

“The truck?” Shes lost in his exasperation and he replies, “Firetruck! The truck!” 

 

He’s a fireman? Sansa grows jittery and chews on her lip, “Shouldn’t you be better at climbing ladders?” 

 

“Exactly!” Jon claps his hands together, “Now you see why. I’ll ice my knee and we’ll be fine! I’ll come back outside tomorrow and finish this. It’s all fine!” He rattles off and if he weren’t so adorable she’d think he was a lunatic. 

 

“Ooookay, well, I’m off then. Gotta towel off my dog before going back to bed.” Sansa tugs one Lady’s leash and she whines in protest, her eyes are still locked on Ghost’s. 

 

So she just backs away calmly in hopes Lady will just follow in a daze, and it works until Jon steps forward and his knee gives. He’s down in the snow again and Sansa jumps forward to help him. “Jon!”

 

“I’m okay! Just clumsy!” His voice is strangled and strained as he pushes himself up and limps toward the front door. “Thanks Sansa!” 

 

“Sure Jon! Ice that knee!” She calls out as he slams the door behind him. 

 

When she gets back to her house with Lady, she’s so giddy that she forgets to towel her off. In the morning she wakes up damp and smelling like wet dog. It doesn’t bother her at all, because she’s too happy to get the chance to sing in the shower. 

 

Before heading out the door, she slides on her scrubs and tosses her stethoscope in her work bag. Today shouldn’t be too crazy, and she looks forward to telling her friend Jeyne about what happened the night before. 

 

“Hey Sansa!” Jeyne greets her when she walks through the Emergency Room doors. Her friend has a coffee waiting for her and she gladly takes it. 

 

“Dr. Westerling, Dr. Stark, we’ve got a sprain on bed 6 and a broken arm on bed 9.” Davos, the head nurse, calls out to them from behind the nurse’s station. 

 

“Arm!” Jeyne snickers and dashes down the hallway to get her pick of the bunch. Normally, Sansa would be more irritated at losing out, but she just hums until she reaches Davos sitting behind the desk. “Busy night, Davos?” 

 

He shrugs as he flips through registration papers, “Nothing crazy, knock on wood.” The two of them tap their knuckles against the desk and Sansa smiles as he hands her the iPad with updated charts. 

 

Before heading into room 6, she knocks lighting on the door and pushes inside. Sansa has a broad grin on her face that falters when she sees who’s laying in the bed. “Jon!” 

 

His eyes widen in shock and disbelief, “Sansa?!” 

 

“You said you were fine!” Sansa washes her hands faster than she should and struggles to pull on rubber gloves as a result of her dripping hands. “How bad?” 

 

Jon tosses his head dramatically against his pillow in defeat, “It’s swollen.” 

 

Sansa draws back the covers to find his knee a violent green and purple and twice the size it should be. It’s unprofessional but she lets out a hiss and gently reaches forward to feel if there’s any knots and to test how sensitive it is. 

 

Jon lets out a grunt before she even adjusts his leg and Sansa shoots him a look, “This looks like it hurts.” 

 

“It would’ve been fine if I hadn’t tripped again!” Jon exclaims and balls his hands into fists, “I had to get Sam to drive me here today.” 

 

“The driver?” Sansa says it like she hasn’t been mulling over their conversation since it happened. She turns his leg this way and that and decides it’s best he gets an x-ray just in case. 

 

“No!” Jon wails, “Are you kidding me!” 

 

“I’m not the one who told you to put up Christmas lights in the middle of a snow storm at 11:00 at night.” Sansa pulls the blanket back over his legs and starts typing up orders into the computer. He’s too silent for how upset he’s been since she met Jon, and she chances a look over the laptop at him. 

 

“You’re a doctor?” He asks nervously, “I didn’t know that.” 

 

“Well, I was in winter clothes, doesn’t give away much.” Sansa goes back to typing because she feels his eyes looking all over her. 

 

After a deep sigh Jon says, “It didn’t give away how beautiful you are.” 

 

She feels like falling off the chair and gives him a bewildered look, “Are you on pain meds?” 

 

“Not yet, can you get me those?” Jon winks the worst wink she’s ever seen and she lets out a girlish giggle in response. 

 

“Up to X-ray first then we’ll talk pills, Casanova.” Sansa stands up and puts the laptop back on the table where it belongs in exchange for the iPad. “I’m guessing Gilly already knows you’re here?” 

 

“You know Gilly?!” Jon’s eyes threaten to bug out of their sockets and Sansa shakes her head, “Jon there are about 2,000 people in this hospital working right now.” 

 

“Oh...right.” Jon clutches onto the blanket with his hands like he’s steeling himself for something, “When are you off?” 

 

“Off?” Sansa walks towards the doorway and pulls a confused look. 

 

Jon motions around the hospital sarcastically and she rolls her eyes at him, “I’m here until 6:00 usually.” 

 

“Great, you could pick me up for dinner.” Jon folds his hands together at his offer and Sansa lets out another laugh. “We’ll see about that.” 

 

“If you write down your number you won’t have to violate any HIPAA laws by getting mine from the chart thing.” Jon shouts before she closes the door. 

 

Sansa pokes her head in and says, “I’m your doctor...it’s not against HIPAA for me to get your number from there.” 

 

“Great, so give me a call and I’ll be ready.” Jon is too pleased with himself and Sansa tries her best to muffle her laughter with shooting him a deadpan look and closing the door. 

 

He didn’t realize she was already working on memorizing the digits and putting together a plan to call him in a day or two to check in.

 

Knocking on wood with Davos didn’t help and the rest of the day is insane with patients and their ailments. Sansa’s sad she doesn’t get to fill Jeyne in on the fireman she saved from the snow before she heads home. 

 

The amount of disappointment she felt when she came down to the ER and found Jon had already been discharged surprised her and gnaws at her insides. At 6:30, Sansa rolls out of the hospital starving and exhausted. Lady will need a walk when she gets home, and maybe she can get away with sneaking down to Jon’s house, just to see. 

 

When she walks through the double sliding doors, she glances down at her phone and jingles her keys. 

 

“Doctor Stark!” 

 

Of course there’s Jon, crutches on either side of him, and cheeks as pink as the night before. 

 

“It’s too cold for you to be outside with that knee.” Sansa scolds him while beaming. “Have you been waiting?” 

 

“I didn’t want pneumonia, so no, but Sam is already tired of giving me rides.” Jon struggles to stand and Sansa hurries to help but he waves her away. “You’ve helped enough, I promise I got it.” 

 

“You also said you didn’t need a ride to the hospital.” Sansa’s eyes fall to the brace on his knee. 

 

“Yeah well, now I need a ride to take you out.” Jon nods his head towards the parking deck, “Do you want tacos or pizza?” 

 

“What if I don’t want either?” Sansa starts walking slow enough for him to keep up on his crutches. 

 

“Then I rescind my offer and Sam’s just going to have to suck it up.” Jon hobbles along beside her. 

 

Sansa looks over at him, “Has Sam told anyone?” 

 

Jon sighs dramatically, “Yes and I’m banned from ladders forever and will probably never live to see it down.” 

 

“Well, I’ll take you up on tacos then. For your trouble.” Sansa points to the crutches and Jon smiles, “It’s the least you could do.” 

 

“It is the Christmas season after all.” Sansa unlocks her car and follows Jon over to the passenger side. She drives a navy Jeep Wrangler that makes Jon’s shoulders sag. “Oh right, there’s a step.” 

 

Jon braces himself against the side of the car and furrows his brow before making the move to throw himself into the door Sansa opens for him. She giggles as he crawls up into the passenger seat and he groans, “Promise you won’t tell the guys I broke the ‘no ladder rule’ already?”

 

Sansa watches on as he sits upright and buckles himself in, “Depends how good the tacos are.” 

 

She shuts the door just as he gives her a mock gasp, “Hey!” 

 

 

 

 


End file.
